


In Slime With You

by magisterpavus



Series: SHEITH SLUGS [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Declarations Of Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Gentle Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Size Difference, Slime, considering, discussions of slug anatomy from someone who has not studied slug anatomy, or like as best as they can do, that they're slugs., they are still slugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:14:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26161729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magisterpavus/pseuds/magisterpavus
Summary: :)slime it up with me on twitter@saltyshiro- this is part of CURSED SHEITH WEEK so thank you to the lovely ser for your support of the slime and the crack AUs I definitely enjoy writing too much. if you want to participate in CURSED SHEITH WEEK, there's still time! gohereto find out more~
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Series: SHEITH SLUGS [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899772
Comments: 35
Kudos: 146





	In Slime With You

Shiro has a problem. A very slimy, sticky problem, which might be considered the norm, considering Shiro is a slug, but his mucus production has been off the charts lately. He wonders if Keith notices – no, he’s sure Keith notices, because Keith is a very observant slug. His little eyestalks see all. But he’s too polite to say anything; Shiro just knows it. 

The problem has gotten to the point where Shiro can’t slime around without getting leaves and twigs and much grosser things than leaves and twigs – which are plentiful on the forest floor – stuck to him. This has resulted in Keith having to carefully crawl over him and peel off every unwanted bit of debris, or eat it, because slugs do love a good meal of decomposing matter. And really, are you really slug best friends if you don’t eat pieces of dead bug off of each other? Doubtful.

Because Keith is Shiro’s slug best friend; he knows this with every fiber of his thick, absolutely rockin’ by slug standards, body. But it’s more than that. Shiro has a terrible secret in his weird little cerebral ganglion. It makes his slug heart beat faster. (A/N: I need you all to know that I spent thirty minutes attempting to figure out how the fuck slug circulatory systems work, and I’m here to tell you that I still can’t give you a straight answer, because I would do a lot for the sake of cursed fic, but I draw the line at paying $30 for access to an academic article in the Canadian Journal of Zoology. I’m sorry I’ve failed you all in this. But I can tell you that slug hearts are kept in something called a HEART BAG which is exactly what it sounds like.) Shiro’s heart bag flutters wildly and passionately for the little red slug named Keith.

Normally, this would be cause for opening one’s genital pore, sliming all up in there, possibly chewing one’s partner’s penis off depending on how unfortunate your particular slug species is, and moving on to lay some eggs on a nice leaf. But one does this only with other slugs of one’s kind, unless they’re confused (which slugs often are) or being a jerk. And Shiro is not a jerk, but he does not think that Keith is even close to the same kind of slug as he is, considering Keith is bright red and a third of his size. 

If Shiro is being honest here – which slugs always are, they’re incapable of outright lies (A/N: Okay, you got me, I made that one up but consider – DID I? How do YOU know slugs can’t lie? Have you ever asked one? I rest my case.) – his entire slug dick is probably the same size as Keith. Thankfully, slugs usually keep that shit tucked away with their internal organs, which is just as awful as it sounds, but they only have one kidney, so maybe it makes up for that a little. 

Also, Shiro doesn’t want a one night – or day, slugs aren’t picky – slime with Keith. He wants to spend the rest of his slug existence with Keith, destroying gardens very slowly and poisoning every animal that tries to eat them. Shiro wants romance. 

But slugs struggle with romance. So do snails. Personally, Shiro thinks snails are much worse at romance, considering they stab each other with actual spears that their bodies grow called love darts and, because they’re snails, they’re not very good at aiming and sometimes they just shank each other. And they don’t even do this to spice things up or anything – it’s just to give their spermatophores a better shot at survival. Shiro thinks that if you have to stab your partner to make that happen, maybe you’re better off just keeping your genital pore shut.

Most slugs aren’t into the whole darting business. They are into courtship, though. But that’s the other problem: Shiro only knows courtship for whatever kind of slug he is, not for little red slugs. For all he knows, Keith might only be receptive to him flopping over and flailing like a sentient pickle while waving his eyestalks to the tune of Hollaback Girl. (This makes Shiro very nervous, because although he is very familiar with the tune of Hollaback Girl, he doesn’t think he has enough coordination to pull this off.)

But when he asks Keith if he feels any kind of way about Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl, Keith does not do the slug equivalent of swooning, which is just to kind of lean to the side a little more than usual and do a wavy thing with your eyestalks. Instead, he gets a haunted look in his slug eyes. 

_ Keith? _ Shiro asks. _ Is everything okay? _

_ Gwen Stefani, _ Keith says in a telepathic whisper, _ that was The Third Grader’s favorite singer. _

Shiro senses with his inherently good vibes radar that he’s accidentally unearthed some Tragic Backstory. Keith has mentioned the third graders only a few times in passing. Shiro has never asked further. Now, he might get the full story – does Keith trust him enough to share his dark and sticky past with Shiro? Shiro’s heart bag flutters harder at the thought. 

But it’s important that Keith not be uncomfortable, and he’s starting to curl in on himself, the way he does when he’s shy or unhappy. Shiro grabs a bit of lichen and slithers across Keith’s little slug home to offer the lichen and a supportive albeit slimy shoulder to lean on.  _ We don’t have to talk about it, _ he tells Keith gently. _ I don’t want you to be traumatized by Gwen Stefani. _

Keith gives the lichen a melancholy chomp.  _ Too late,  _ he says.  _ That was the song playing when it all went wrong. _

(A/N: It’s at this moment that I realized I didn’t know if slugs had ears. I’m sorry to break the suspension of disbelief, but they don’t. Unfortunately, it’s important to the very serious plot of this story that these slugs can perceive the iconic notes of early 2000’s pop, so let’s say they feel the vibrations, and can therefore jam out to said early 2000’s pop. The alternative is that Gwen Stefani’s music releases slug pheromones. Pick your poison.)

At that moment, Keith’s slug pheromones – which Shiro has become very familiar with – turn sour with danger. Shiro presses closer, protective.  _ What happened, Keith? _

Keith shivers, eyestalks drooping.  _ It was how I began my life...in a plastic container in a third grade classroom. _

_ Keith,  _ Shiro whispers in soft slug horror, an emotion which slugs are intimately familiar with, because they’re small squishy gastropods in a big scary world.  _ Did the third graders...hurt you? _

_ It was the French fries, _ Keith whispers back.  _ They fed us French fries...covered in salt...they didn’t know what salt does to slugs...it was a bloodbath, Shiro. Or rather, a saltwater bath. I barely escaped with my life. It was The Third Grader who loved Gwen Stefani that saved me. She freed me on the playground. Then I almost got stepped on by a horde of children. I don’t know how I survived that day...I don’t believe in the Great Slug in the Sky, Shiro, but I rubbed my eyestalks together and prayed until I escaped. I’ve avoided schools ever since. _

Shiro snuggles his big slimy body closer.  _ That sounds so scary, Keith,  _ he murmurs.  _ You are a very brave slug. And I’m so glad you made it, so we could be with each other now. _

Keith peers up at him, eyestalks held stiff and uncertain. Then he flops more heavily against Shiro and says,  _ Thank you, Shiro...for your words and your slime. Has anyone ever told you how comforting your slime is? It seems thicker than usual…and much stickier... _

Shiro falters.  _ Oh… _ he hesitates.  _ About that… _

Keith’s eyestalks wiggle in a shape that could creatively be called question marks. 

_ It’s nothing bad, _ Shiro promises nervously, _ but...Keith, I think I’m sliming so much more because...I’m afraid that you’ll leave...but I just want to share slime with you always...and I’m afraid maybe...you don’t feel the same way? _

Keith does the slug equivalent of narrowing his eyes, which is pretty much nothing, because slugs don’t have eyelids, but his eyestalks do bump together.  _ Shiro,  _ he says with all the seriousness a slug can muster, which is not much because come on, they’re slugs and therefore inherently sort of comical, _ I’ve never told anyslug else what I just told you. I trust you. I would follow you to the ends of the garden, whether I’m stuck in your slime or not. How could I ever feel anything less than sticky slimy devotion for you? I thought YOU didn’t feel the same way...I’m just a little red slug, and you’re… _ He trails off, because he’s not actually sure what Shiro is, but he’s damn majestic for a mollusc.  _ You’re... _

_ In slime with you, _ Shiro admits.  _ My slug brain may not be able to perceive feelings beyond the primal terror needed to survive this dangerous world, and a constant drive to reproduce, but Keith, I’ve made room in my cerebral ganglia for loving you. You give my life meaning. You aren’t just a little red slug to me.  _

Keith stares at him.  _ You’re in slime with me? _

_ So in slime, _ Shiro tells him, and gently rubs his eyestalks against Keith’s.  _ There’s no one else I’d rather slime with. _

_ Wow, _ Keith says, softly shocked.  _ Shiro...I’m in slime with you, too.  _

_ Wow, _ Shiro agrees, and nuzzles Keith’s cute little slug face, their joined slime glistening lovingly in the sunshine.


End file.
